Wood villas: Uttarakhand mountain retreats with stunning views

The concept of building villas with wood as the primary material is the new buzz. Although wooden villas are commonplace in the US, Canada and most of Europe, it hasn’t been as popular in India, due largely to the tropical climatic conditions, prohibitive forestry laws and outdated sawmills. This is despite being blessed with a centuries-old rich legacy of wooden craftsmanship that was patronised by the Maharajas of yore. However, this is an exciting time for India as a nation – third largest economy by purchasing power parity and a $3.5 trillion economy with the travel and tourism industry alone generating $178 billion. With India becoming a global powerhouse, the nation’s tourism landscape too has kept pace with globally acceptable tourism guidelines.